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Cyber-Attacks: An Introductory Guide

By TechDogs Editorial Team

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Overview

Before we begin, let us take you on a journey to the elegant city of Turin, Italy. Imagine walking down the stone-paved streets lined with old baroque structures and quaint coffee houses, enjoying the exhilarating view of the Alps and the aroma of hot chocolate wafting through the air. Wondering, what the heck does Turin have to do with Cyber-Attacks? Well, this is the same city where Charlie Croker and crew (from The Italian Job) stole $4 million in gold. The thieves escaped by taking control of Turin's traffic control system, creating a paralyzing traffic jam allowing them to make their iconic escape in the red, white and blue Mini Coopers.

These attacks are not limited to the reel but frequently occur in real life. From infamous cybersecurity data breach to the viral spread of ransomware - we take you into the dark alleys of cybersecurity and explore the world of Cyber Attacks, what they are, how they evolved, their types, the damage they cause as well as their potential future.

TechDogs-An Introduction To "Cyber-Attacks"

On the 15th of July 2020, Twitteratis (avid Twitter users) woke up to tweets from prominent personalities - Warren Buffet, Barack Obama, Elon Musk and even current POTUS (President Of The United States) Joe Biden - inviting them to send money to a link and promising double the money in return as a way of giving back to the community. The tweets came from official accounts and, the notion of making a few quick (and free) bucks is quite tempting. Since wealthy and famous personalities had posted the tweets, it appeared like a genuine attempt at philanthropy and charity

The tweets started coming in faster - Uber, Apple, Kanye West and Jeff Bezos, to name a few of the 45 accounts that sent out the "too-good-to-be-true" tweet. In reality, a group of miscreants had successfully targeted Twitter employees through a phishing attack. They called up Twitter tech support personnel, instructing them to reset their passwords. The message was passed on to the cybersecurity team, who were redirected to a dummy site controlled by the hacker and entered their usernames and passwords. This allowed the cybercriminals to gain control over internal tools and servers. Within minutes they had access to over 100 Twitter accounts. It took Twitter employees a few hours to realize that they were under attack - a Cyber Attack.

If this could happen to a firm that invests millions of dollars securing its systems and critical infrastructure, imagine the potential of the damage Cyber Attacks can cause to smaller, modest businesses. Sc-a-ry!!

Before we sit on our couches analyzing the horror, let's begin by asking - what exactly is a Cyber-Attack?

What Is A Cyber-Attack?

In simple terms, Cyber Attack is any intentional attempt to expose, alter, destroy, or steal sensitive data. Such an attack lets hackers gain unauthorized access and can threaten to take down critical infrastructures such as government agencies, stock markets, financial institutions, etc.

As more and more organizations embrace a paperless approach, uploading all their sensitive data into the cloud, the risk of a Cyber Attack multiplies tenfold. Cyber Attacks are not uncommon, considering the fact that almost 70% of the Earth's population uses some form of digital technology.

Cyber Attacks and data breach are also not new, as we'll see when we check out the history of Cyber Attacks.

History And Evolution Of Cyber-Attack

The evolution of Cyber Attacks is quite exciting. During a research project, a gentleman named Bob Thomas stumbled upon a computer program that could move between networks leaving behind a trail. Bob created a program called Creeper, designed to travel between terminals on the early ARPANET (precursor to the modern Internet) and print the message, "I AM THE CREEPER: CATCH ME IF YOU CAN." Hardly a Cyber Attack, right?

Ray Tomlinson (yes, the guy who invented the email) was fascinated by this idea and decided to take it up a notch. Ray tweaked the program to make it self-replicating - leading to the first computer worm. He then wrote a program called Reaper in 1971 - to chase Creeper and delete it - leading to the first anti-virus software. While cyber threats dominate headlines today, back in the '70s, Cyber-Attacks were relatively harmless.

The first deliberate Cyber Attack was initiated solely for research-based purposes with no malicious intentions. Robert Morris, a Cornell University graduate student, wanted to assess the size of the Internet. He wrote a program in 1985 that was designed to crawl the web, install itself on other computers and then count its copies. The total would indicate the number of computers connected to the Internet. The program struggled because it could not distinguish computers that already had a copy installed. As it installed multiple copies on the same system, computers started crashing. The 'Morris Worm' damaged around 6000 computers, roughly 10% of the entire Internet at the time - and caused damages between $100,000 and $1 million.

Today, a single Cyber-Attack can cause damage worth hundreds of millions of dollars - not to mention the loss of sensitive data, privacy and critical infrastructure security.

The Most Common Types Of Cyber-Attacks

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Cyber-Attacks have continuously evolved and grown from worm to worm (pun intended!). There are several methods: Denial-of-service (DoS), Phishing Attacks, Malware Attacks, Ransomware Attacks, Web Attacks, Insider Threats, Password Attacks, Man-in-the-middle Attacks, Birthday Attacks, SQL injection attacks and more. Let’s go through some of them:

Denial-Of-Service (DoS) And Distributed Denial-Of-Service (DDoS) Attacks

This involves sending repeated service requests to a system from a large group of infected machines controlled by attackers. This type of attack aims at shutting down a system and rendering it inaccessible to its intended users. Although, these attacks do not lead to the stealing of information, it can definitely result in a loss in terms of time and getting the system back on track.
Phishing

Phishing attack involves creating a malicious link, which when clicked leads to freezing the system and can result in loss of data such as credit card details, bank details and passwords. Phishing mainly involves doppelganger emails, instant messages or texts, that trick the receiver into believing that it is sent by a known entity. These contain malicious links which lead to exposure of sensitive information...
Malware Attacks

Malware attacks are carried out by gaining access to a system without the user's consent. Malware attack usually attach themselves as a part of a legit code to gain access to the system. Once it has access, it snoops on other applications, all the while remaining undetected. One of the most popular types of Malware attack is Ransomware, wherein a user's data is held hostage demanding a ransom. (Think NotPetyA and WannaCry Cyber Attacks in 2016 and 2017).
Man-In-The-Middle Attack

As the name implies, this type of attack occurs when the attacker manages to gain access to communications between two entities. This allows the attacker to intercept the message, modify it, and then retransmit the changed message. The intruder can thus control the entire communication.
AI-Powered Attacks

Machine Learning primarily involves training a computer to perform tasks on its own and learning to improvise using the information it is fed. Although AI (Artificial Intelligence) was developed to ease out manual jobs, it is also being used to hack into many systems to steal data and also carry out DoS attacks.

Who Is At Risk?

Anyone and everyone connected to the internet -that means all individuals, small and large businesses, corporations, government agencies, security agencies - are at risk. We have computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, smart devices and other gadgets that can make us vulnerable to these attacks. In today's digital era, a Cyber Attack is the equivalent of getting your wallet, smartphone and house keys stolen - all at once! The burning question, however, is whether Cyber-Attacks can be prevented? The answer: Yes (and No).

Cyber security experts believe that most attacks are preventable. After the infamous ransomware Cyber Attack in 2017, IT companies and financial enterprises shifted their view on security and started implementing a strict 'security hygiene'. This included threat emulation, reviewing and auditing security infrastructure, granting fewer access privileges, patching outdated software - overall, choosing Cyber Attack prevention over detection. Didn't a wise guy say something about prevention being better than an antidote?

However, cyberspace is a full-blown war zone with the potential of disrupting entire organizations with just a few clicks. Be it an individual or a company, even with the right tools and security hygiene, it is possible to fall prey to increasingly sophisticated and deceptive Cyber-Attacks. We mean, if a 15-year-old kid could hack the NASA and US Defense Department file-servers in 1999, imagine what a full-blown hacker can do today!

Future Of Cyber-Attacks

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With the increase of our dependence on online resources like cloud storage and digital authentication tools, Cyber-Attacks will become the new tactic to gain power and control. Unlike wars, Cyber Attacks do not represent images of cities being hammered or buildings collapsing but it certainly has a similar effect.

According to Forrester's Using AI for Evil report, AI-powered hacking is just around the corner and it will soon be a part of a cyber attacker's toolkit. Hence, efforts are being made to enhance remote access security, better encryption, improved backup and recovery tools, etc. With such predictions, cyber security researchers will certainly be on their toes to keep up.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Cyber-Attack and why should businesses be concerned about it?

A Cyber-Attack refers to any intentional attempt by hackers to expose, alter, destroy, or steal sensitive data. These attacks can target various entities such as government agencies, financial institutions, and businesses, posing a significant threat to their operations and security. With the increasing digitization of data and processes, the risk of Cyber-Attacks has escalated, making it imperative for businesses to prioritize cybersecurity measures to safeguard their assets and reputation.

What are the most common types of Cyber-Attacks that businesses face?

Businesses encounter various types of Cyber-Attacks, including Denial-of-Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, Phishing attacks, Malware attacks (such as Ransomware), Man-in-the-Middle attacks, and AI-powered attacks. These attacks aim to disrupt operations, steal sensitive information, or gain unauthorized access to systems, highlighting the diverse tactics employed by cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities in organizational security.

Who is at risk of Cyber-Attacks, and how can businesses prevent them?

Every entity connected to the internet, including individuals, small businesses, corporations, and government agencies, is vulnerable to Cyber-Attacks. While cybersecurity experts emphasize that most attacks are preventable through measures such as threat emulation, security infrastructure review, access privilege restriction, and software patching, the evolving nature of Cyber-Attacks presents ongoing challenges. Despite efforts to enhance security protocols, the sophistication and frequency of Cyber-Attacks continue to pose significant threats, necessitating constant vigilance and adaptation to mitigate risks effectively.

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Tags:

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Join The Discussion

Cyber-Attacks: An Introductory Guide

What Is A Cyber-Attack?

History And Evolution Of Cyber-Attack

The Most Common Types Of Cyber-Attacks

Denial-Of-Service (DoS) And Distributed Denial-Of-Service (DDoS) Attacks

Phishing

Malware Attacks

Man-In-The-Middle Attack

AI-Powered Attacks